A fire ripped through a Mendota home and sent a man to the hospital with serious burns. The fire happened just after 7 p.m. Monday in a neighborhood near Juanita and 8th Street.

Firefighters say the man was trapped inside and struggling with serious burn wounds. When firefighters found him he was found lying unconscious in the house.

George Hernandez is praying for his roommate who was airlifted to a nearby hospital. Witnesses say several people ran out of the burning home, but the victim ran back inside. They believe he was trying to save some of his belongings.

"In the event of a fire emergency, never go back inside no matter what you think is so valuable in the structure you could be risking your own life," Cal Fire Captain Ryan Michaels said.

The majority of the house was destroyed in the fire. The five people who lived there were offered shelter from the Red Cross but instead they chose to stay with family.

Firefighters are still working to figure out what caused the fire, but they say the house did not have any working smoke detectors.